CRAZY FOR YOU a Must See Show

CRAZY FOR YOU: Musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Directed by Brooke Knight. Broadway By The Bay, San Mateo Performing Arts Center, 600 N. Delaware Ave, San Mateo. 650-579-5565 or www.broadwaybythebay.org. Through April 19, 2009

IT WILL SET YOUR FEET TAPPING

Broadway by the Bay (BBTB)starts off its 44^th season with a spirited highly professional production of Crazy For You, not quite good enough to make you forget the superb 1999 Paper Mill Playhouse staging that ran on PBS Great Performances but is highly recommended for a two hour and 40 minute (with a 20 minute intermission) evening of song and dance to tickle your fancy. I hope that you were fortunate enough to tape that TV show for your archives since there are no DVDs available. If not, your best bet is to race off to San Mateo and see this show a couple of times.

The Broadway staging in 1992 won the Tony award for Best Musical. Although loosely based on 1930 Girl Crazy, it is compilation of songs from many shows. Like 42^nd Street, this show shares its memorable music with the dancing. Maybe that should be the music shares the stage with the memorable dancing since the hero, the son of a rich NY banker, Bobby Child (Steve Perez), whose only goal is to dance on the stage.

The show starts back stage at the Zangler Theater where Bobby auditions for Bella Zangler with disastrous/humorous results. Bella has the hots for, and is rebuffed by, dance captain Tess. Enter Bobby’s Mother (Lois Lazich), with the rich, spoiled Irene (Erica Wyman) whom he has been engaged to for 5 years. Bobby is ordered to go to Deadrock, Nevada, to foreclose on a rundown Gaiety Theatre. Bobby fantasizes dancing with the Follies girls in a show stopping number (I Can’t Be Bothered Now) with the sexy girls in marvelous pink costumes. What a great beginning. The tone for the entire show has been set.

Off to Dead Rock where the lackadaisical males sing I’m Biding My Time before Bobby meets Polly (Melissa WolfKlain) enthusing in song Things Are Looking Up and they dance up a storm ending with a kiss. True love never runs true and animosity rears its ugly head when she discovers Bobby is the one sent to foreclose on the beloved theatre. What better way to save the theatre than to put on a show in the mode of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Bobby enlists the help of the Follies girls who are on leave between shows. Lank Hawkins (Cameron Weston), the owner of Deadrock Saloon is not pleased since Polly is the only girl in town and he wishes to marry her.

Rejected Bobby is heartbroken, but he decides to put on the show disguised as Zangler. Melissa WolfKlain gives a great interpretation of the plaintive “Someone to Watch Over Me." What an entrance the Follies girls make in there bright costumes and vivacious ways that entice the local gentry and dance up a fantastic storm with “Slap That Bass”. The first act ends with I Got Rhythm, an eight-minute tour de force that has no equal.

The fun continues into the second act with the rousing Real American Folk Song and a dance number to bring down the rafters. Erica Wyman has her turn to stop the show with a sexy, raunchy Naughty Baby.

There is much more to tell but that would remove the fun of seeing the show. Steve Perez gives a very creditable performance as the protagonist Bobby and those times he sings off key is hardly noticeable. Melissa WolfKlain is the only equity actor and is great as a singer and dancer. The show really belongs to the dancing ensemble and the Follies Bergere finale is glorious. Highly recommended.

Kedar K. Adour

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com